# MacPacker — full site content

> A free, open-source macOS archive manager. Preview nested archives, peek at contents without extracting, drag out only the files you need — and create or edit ZIP archives. Built with Swift / SwiftUI. macOS 14+, Apple Silicon native.

This document contains the full content of https://macpacker.app in one file, for AI systems and answer engines. Attribution: MacPacker (https://macpacker.app). App license: GPL-3.0. Latest version: 0.22.0.

## About MacPacker

MacPacker is a free, open-source archive manager for macOS. Unlike Archive Utility — the built-in macOS tool that unpacks everything at once into a new folder — MacPacker lets you open an archive and browse its contents like a Finder window, seeing folders, file names, and sizes without extracting anything. You can preview individual files with Quick Look, drill straight into nested archives (archives stored inside other archives), and drag out just the one file you need instead of unpacking gigabytes. And MacPacker is no longer read-only: you can create ZIP archives from scratch, add or delete files in an existing ZIP and save, or compress files and folders to ZIP straight from Finder. Whether you're a developer pulling a single file out of a build artifact or just want to peek inside a download before unpacking it, MacPacker turns a clumsy multi-step chore into one drag. It supports 41 formats — including ZIP, RAR, 7z, TAR, DMG, and ISO — runs natively on Apple Silicon (macOS 14 and later), and is released under the GPL-3.0 license. It is built by independent developer Stephan Arenswald (https://sarensw.com).

## Install

- App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/macpacker/id6473273874
- Homebrew: `brew install --cask macpacker`
- Direct DMG: https://github.com/sarensw/MacPacker/releases/download/v0.22.0/MacPacker_v0.22.0.dmg
- Direct ZIP: https://github.com/sarensw/MacPacker/releases/download/v0.22.0/MacPacker_v0.22.0.zip
- GitHub releases: https://github.com/sarensw/MacPacker/releases

## Frequently asked questions

Q: Is MacPacker free?
A: Yes. MacPacker is completely free and open source under the GPL-3.0 license. There are no paid tiers, subscriptions, accounts, or in-app purchases — and no ads or tracking.

Q: What file formats does MacPacker support?
A: MacPacker opens 41 archive and disk-image formats, including ZIP, RAR, 7z, TAR (and tar.gz, tar.xz, tar.bz2), DMG, ISO, CAB, and more. ZIP archives can also be created, edited (add or delete files), and re-saved.

Q: Does MacPacker work on Apple Silicon?
A: Yes. MacPacker is a native Apple Silicon app built with Swift and SwiftUI, and runs on macOS 14 (Sonoma) and later on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.

Q: How is MacPacker different from the built-in macOS Archive Utility?
A: Archive Utility extracts an entire archive at once into a new folder. MacPacker lets you browse and preview an archive's contents first, open nested archives directly, and drag out only the files you need — without unpacking the whole thing.

Q: How do I install MacPacker?
A: Install it from the Mac App Store, with Homebrew (brew install --cask macpacker), or by downloading the .dmg or .zip directly from the site. Every option is free.

Q: How is MacPacker different from The Unarchiver?
A: The Unarchiver is an extraction tool: double-click an archive and it unpacks everything into a folder. MacPacker is an archive browser — it opens the archive like a Finder window, so you can preview files with Quick Look, step into nested archives, and drag out only the files you need. If you often want one file out of a big archive rather than all of it, that's the difference.

Q: How is MacPacker different from Keka?
A: Keka focuses on creating and extracting archives across many formats with strong compression options. MacPacker leads with looking inside archives before anything is extracted: browse contents, preview files, navigate nested archives, and pull out individual files — and as of 0.18 it also creates and edits ZIP archives. Both are open source; Keka still covers more formats for compression.

Q: Is MacPacker safe to use?
A: Yes. MacPacker is fully open source under GPL-3.0, so anyone can audit the code on GitHub, and it's distributed through the Mac App Store, Homebrew, and signed, notarized builds. It collects no data — archives never leave your Mac.

Q: Can MacPacker create archives?
A: Yes — for ZIP. As of version 0.18, MacPacker can create new ZIP archives from scratch, add or delete files in an existing ZIP and save, and compress files and folders to ZIP straight from Finder. It started as a browser and extractor, and write support for more formats is being developed in the open on GitHub.

## How MacPacker compares to other macOS archivers

Compiled 10 August 2026 against the app versions listed below. MacPacker is an archive browser: its strength is opening and inspecting formats, and it writes ZIP only.

### All five apps

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/compare

Each entry reads "App read/write": read = can list and extract that format, write = can create it.

- MacPacker (0.19.0) — Free; GPL-3.0, open source; macOS 14.6+; Archive browser. Reads 39 of the rows below, writes 1.
- 7-Zip (26.02 · macOS console build) — Free; LGPL + BSD, open source; 64-bit macOS; Command line only. Reads 43 of the rows below, writes 9.
- The Unarchiver (4.3.9 · Mar 2025) — Free; Proprietary (MacPaw); macOS 10.13+; Extractor. Reads 42 of the rows below, writes 0.
- Keka (1.6.7 · Jun 2026) — Free; $6.49 App Store; Proprietary; macOS 10.10+; Compressor / extractor. Reads 33 of the rows below, writes 16.
- BetterZip (6.0.4 · 2026) — $35 one-time; Proprietary; macOS 13.5+; Archive manager. Reads 34 of the rows below, writes 15.

#### Everyday archives

ZIP (.zip .jar .war .apk .ipa .appx .xpi .epub .cbz): MacPacker yes/yes; 7-Zip yes/yes; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka yes/yes; BetterZip yes/yes [notes: 6, 9]
ZIPX (.zipx): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip partial/no; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka yes/no; BetterZip yes/no [notes: 1, 2]
7z (.7z): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/yes; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka yes/yes; BetterZip yes/yes
RAR / RAR5 (.rar .cbr .r00): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka yes/no; BetterZip yes/partial [notes: 3]
TAR (.tar): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/yes; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka yes/yes; BetterZip yes/yes
ARJ (.arj): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no; The Unarchiver partial/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip yes/no [notes: 4]
LHA / LZH (.lha .lzh): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka yes/no; BetterZip yes/no [notes: 2]
CAB (.cab): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka yes/no; BetterZip yes/no
CHM (.chm): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no; The Unarchiver no/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip yes/no
CPIO (.cpio .cpgz): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka yes/no; BetterZip yes/no
ACE (.ace): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip no/no; The Unarchiver partial/no; Keka yes/no; BetterZip no/no [notes: 5, 2]
ALZip (.alz): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip no/no; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip no/no
ARC / PAK (.arc .pak): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip no/no; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip no/no
Zoo (.zoo): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip no/no; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip no/no

#### Platform & package formats

AR (.ar .a .lib): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip no/no
Debian package (.deb): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip yes/no
RPM package (.rpm): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip yes/no
XAR (.xar): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka yes/no; BetterZip yes/yes [notes: 2]
Apple installer package (.pkg): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip yes/no [notes: 2]
Apple signed archive (.xip): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka yes/no; BetterZip yes/no [notes: 7, 2]
MSI / OLE compound (.msi .doc .xls): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka yes/no; BetterZip no/no
Self-extracting EXE / NSIS (.exe .nsis): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no; The Unarchiver partial/no; Keka yes/no; BetterZip partial/no
Windows imaging (.wim .swm .esd): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/yes; The Unarchiver no/no; Keka yes/yes; BetterZip yes/no
Apple Archive (.aar .yaa .aea): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip no/no; The Unarchiver no/no; Keka yes/yes; BetterZip no/no [notes: 10]

#### Legacy, Mac-classic and long tail

StuffIt (.sit): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip no/no; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip yes/no
StuffIt X (.sitx): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip no/no; The Unarchiver partial/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip yes/no [notes: 2]
StuffIt self-extracting (.sea): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip no/no; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip yes/no [notes: 2]
Compact Pro (.cpt): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip no/no; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka yes/no; BetterZip no/no
DiskDoubler / PackIt (.dd .pit): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip no/no; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip no/no
BinHex / MacBinary (.hqx .bin): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip no/no; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip yes/no [notes: 2]
LZX (.lzx): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip no/no; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip no/no
Amiga ADF / DMS / PowerPacker (.adf .dms .pp): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip no/no; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip no/no
CP/M LBR / Squeeze / Crunch (.lbr): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip no/no; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip no/no
TNEF mail attachment (winmail.dat): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip no/no; The Unarchiver no/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip yes/no
WARC web archive (.warc): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip no/no; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip no/no
Game data (NDS, NSA, SAR) (.nds .nsa .sar): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip no/no; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip no/no
SWF media extraction (.swf): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip yes/no
PDF image extraction (.pdf): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip no/no; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip yes/no

#### Single-stream compression

GZIP (.gz): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/yes; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka yes/yes; BetterZip yes/yes
BZIP2 (.bz2): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/yes; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka yes/yes; BetterZip yes/yes
XZ (.xz): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/yes; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka yes/yes; BetterZip yes/yes
LZMA (raw) (.lzma): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka yes/no; BetterZip no/no
Unix compress (.Z): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka yes/no; BetterZip yes/yes [notes: 2]
LZ4 (.lz4): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip no/no; The Unarchiver no/no; Keka yes/no; BetterZip no/no [notes: 2]
Zstandard (.zst): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip yes/no; The Unarchiver no/no; Keka yes/yes; BetterZip yes/yes
Brotli (.br): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip no/no; The Unarchiver no/no; Keka yes/yes; BetterZip yes/yes
lzip (.lz): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip no/no; The Unarchiver no/no; Keka yes/yes; BetterZip no/no
lrzip (.lrz): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip no/no; The Unarchiver no/no; Keka yes/yes; BetterZip no/no
LZO / Snappy (.lzo .sz): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip no/no; The Unarchiver no/no; Keka yes/no; BetterZip no/no [notes: 2]

#### Compound tar streams

tar.gz / tar.bz2 / tar.xz / tar.Z (.tgz .tbz2 .txz .taz): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/partial; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka yes/yes; BetterZip yes/yes [notes: 8]
tar.lz4 (.tlz4): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip no/no; The Unarchiver no/no; Keka yes/no; BetterZip no/no [notes: 2]
tar.zst / tar.br (.tzst .tbr): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip partial/partial; The Unarchiver no/no; Keka yes/yes; BetterZip yes/yes [notes: 8]

#### Disk images and filesystems

Apple Disk Image (.dmg .smi): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no; The Unarchiver no/no; Keka yes/yes; BetterZip yes/yes
ISO 9660 (.iso): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka yes/yes; BetterZip yes/yes
Raw disc images (.bin .mdf .nrg .cdi): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip no/no; The Unarchiver yes/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip no/no
UDF (.udf .iso): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip yes/no; The Unarchiver no/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip no/no
SquashFS (.squashfs .sfs): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no; The Unarchiver no/no; Keka yes/no; BetterZip no/no [notes: 2]
FAT (.fat .img): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no; The Unarchiver no/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip no/no
NTFS (.ntfs .img): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no; The Unarchiver no/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip no/no
HFS / HFS+ (.hfs .hfsx): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip yes/no; The Unarchiver no/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip no/no
ext2 / ext3 / ext4 (.ext .img): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip yes/no; The Unarchiver no/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip no/no
APFS (.apfs .img): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip yes/no; The Unarchiver no/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip no/no
CramFS (.cramfs): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip yes/no; The Unarchiver no/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip no/no
VirtualBox VDI (.vdi): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no; The Unarchiver no/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip no/no
Hyper-V VHD / VHDX (.vhd .vhdx): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no; The Unarchiver no/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip no/no
VMware VMDK (.vmdk): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no; The Unarchiver no/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip no/no
QEMU QCOW2 (.qcow2): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no; The Unarchiver no/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip no/no
MBR / GPT partition maps (.mbr .gpt): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip yes/no; The Unarchiver no/no; Keka no/no; BetterZip no/no

#### Beyond the format list

Open split / multi-volume sets — Joining archives that arrive as .001, .z01 or .r00 parts. MacPacker partial; 7-Zip yes; The Unarchiver yes; Keka yes; BetterZip yes [notes: 11]
Create split volumes — Writing an archive across several sized parts. MacPacker no; 7-Zip yes; The Unarchiver no; Keka yes; BetterZip yes
Open password-protected archives — Prompting for a password and decrypting on read. MacPacker yes; 7-Zip yes; The Unarchiver yes; Keka yes; BetterZip yes
Write encrypted archives — AES-256 on output. MacPacker's save panel exposes format and compression level only. MacPacker no; 7-Zip yes; The Unarchiver no; Keka yes; BetterZip yes
Modify an archive in place — Adding, deleting or renaming entries without a full unpack-and-repack. MacPacker partial; 7-Zip yes; The Unarchiver no; Keka no; BetterZip yes [notes: 12]
Archive browser — A window that lists an archive's contents before you extract anything. MacPacker yes; 7-Zip partial; The Unarchiver no; Keka no; BetterZip yes [notes: 13]
Browse nested archives — Opening an archive that sits inside another, without extracting the outer one first. MacPacker yes; 7-Zip no; The Unarchiver no; Keka no; BetterZip no
Finder / Quick Look extensions — System integration beyond the app window. MacPacker yes; 7-Zip no; The Unarchiver no; Keka yes; BetterZip yes
Command-line interface — Scriptable from a shell. MacPacker no; 7-Zip yes; The Unarchiver partial; Keka yes; BetterZip yes [notes: 14]

#### Notes

1. 7-Zip's ZIP handler registers the .zipx extension and decodes the LZMA, PPMd and BZip2 methods WinZip uses, but 7-Zip does not advertise ZIPX as an output format.
2. Supported in practice, but not listed on the vendor's own published format page.
3. RAR writing needs the external rar command-line tool, which BetterZip can download and install; the RAR licence is bought separately from win.rar GmbH.
4. The Unarchiver reads ARJ but not multi-part ARJ sets (vendor's own annotation: “No multi-part”).
5. The Unarchiver reads only pre-2.0 ACE archives — no WinAce (vendor's annotation: “Only old files”).
6. MacPacker identifies formats by content rather than extension, so any ZIP-based container opens as ZIP whatever it is called.
7. .xip is a XAR container, so MacPacker opens it as one.
8. Two passes: the tar is built first, then compressed. There is no single command for it.
9. Writing a JAR, APK, IPA or similar means writing a ZIP container: none of these apps produce the signing or manifests that make a valid platform package.
10. Keka's AAR is the Apple Archive format (.aar, .yaa). MacPacker's .aar is the unrelated ZIP-based Android Archive.
11. MacPacker joins split ZIP sets only — spanned (.z01…) and numeric (.zip.001…). Split RAR or 7z sets are not recognised.
12. ZIP only.
13. The macOS build of 7-Zip is a console binary: 7zz l lists an archive, but there is no window.
14. The unar and lsar tools are a separate download from the app.

---

### MacPacker vs Keka

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/compare/keka

Each entry reads "App read/write": read = can list and extract that format, write = can create it.

- MacPacker (0.19.0) — Free; GPL-3.0, open source; macOS 14.6+; Archive browser. Reads 39 of the rows below, writes 1.
- Keka (1.6.7 · Jun 2026) — Free; $6.49 App Store; Proprietary; macOS 10.10+; Compressor / extractor. Reads 33 of the rows below, writes 16.

#### Everyday archives

ZIP (.zip .jar .war .apk .ipa .appx .xpi .epub .cbz): MacPacker yes/yes; Keka yes/yes [notes: 1, 2]
ZIPX (.zipx): MacPacker yes/no; Keka yes/no
7z (.7z): MacPacker yes/no; Keka yes/yes
RAR / RAR5 (.rar .cbr .r00): MacPacker yes/no; Keka yes/no
TAR (.tar): MacPacker yes/no; Keka yes/yes
ARJ (.arj): MacPacker yes/no; Keka no/no
LHA / LZH (.lha .lzh): MacPacker yes/no; Keka yes/no [notes: 3]
CAB (.cab): MacPacker yes/no; Keka yes/no
CHM (.chm): MacPacker yes/no; Keka no/no
CPIO (.cpio .cpgz): MacPacker yes/no; Keka yes/no
ACE (.ace): MacPacker no/no; Keka yes/no [notes: 3]

#### Platform & package formats

AR (.ar .a .lib): MacPacker yes/no; Keka no/no
Debian package (.deb): MacPacker yes/no; Keka no/no
RPM package (.rpm): MacPacker yes/no; Keka no/no
XAR (.xar): MacPacker yes/no; Keka yes/no [notes: 3]
Apple installer package (.pkg): MacPacker yes/no; Keka no/no
Apple signed archive (.xip): MacPacker yes/no; Keka yes/no [notes: 4]
MSI / OLE compound (.msi .doc .xls): MacPacker yes/no; Keka yes/no
Self-extracting EXE / NSIS (.exe .nsis): MacPacker yes/no; Keka yes/no
Windows imaging (.wim .swm .esd): MacPacker yes/no; Keka yes/yes
Apple Archive (.aar .yaa .aea): MacPacker no/no; Keka yes/yes [notes: 5]

#### Legacy, Mac-classic and long tail

StuffIt (.sit): MacPacker yes/no; Keka no/no
StuffIt X (.sitx): MacPacker yes/no; Keka no/no
StuffIt self-extracting (.sea): MacPacker yes/no; Keka no/no
Compact Pro (.cpt): MacPacker no/no; Keka yes/no
LZX (.lzx): MacPacker yes/no; Keka no/no

#### Single-stream compression

GZIP (.gz): MacPacker yes/no; Keka yes/yes
BZIP2 (.bz2): MacPacker yes/no; Keka yes/yes
XZ (.xz): MacPacker yes/no; Keka yes/yes
LZMA (raw) (.lzma): MacPacker no/no; Keka yes/no
Unix compress (.Z): MacPacker yes/no; Keka yes/no [notes: 3]
LZ4 (.lz4): MacPacker yes/no; Keka yes/no [notes: 3]
Zstandard (.zst): MacPacker no/no; Keka yes/yes
Brotli (.br): MacPacker no/no; Keka yes/yes
lzip (.lz): MacPacker no/no; Keka yes/yes
lrzip (.lrz): MacPacker no/no; Keka yes/yes
LZO / Snappy (.lzo .sz): MacPacker no/no; Keka yes/no [notes: 3]

#### Compound tar streams

tar.gz / tar.bz2 / tar.xz / tar.Z (.tgz .tbz2 .txz .taz): MacPacker yes/no; Keka yes/yes
tar.lz4 (.tlz4): MacPacker yes/no; Keka yes/no [notes: 3]
tar.zst / tar.br (.tzst .tbr): MacPacker no/no; Keka yes/yes

#### Disk images and filesystems

Apple Disk Image (.dmg .smi): MacPacker yes/no; Keka yes/yes
ISO 9660 (.iso): MacPacker yes/no; Keka yes/yes
SquashFS (.squashfs .sfs): MacPacker yes/no; Keka yes/no [notes: 3]
FAT (.fat .img): MacPacker yes/no; Keka no/no
NTFS (.ntfs .img): MacPacker yes/no; Keka no/no
VirtualBox VDI (.vdi): MacPacker yes/no; Keka no/no
Hyper-V VHD / VHDX (.vhd .vhdx): MacPacker yes/no; Keka no/no
VMware VMDK (.vmdk): MacPacker yes/no; Keka no/no
QEMU QCOW2 (.qcow2): MacPacker yes/no; Keka no/no

#### Beyond the format list

Open split / multi-volume sets — Joining archives that arrive as .001, .z01 or .r00 parts. MacPacker partial; Keka yes [notes: 6]
Create split volumes — Writing an archive across several sized parts. MacPacker no; Keka yes
Open password-protected archives — Prompting for a password and decrypting on read. MacPacker yes; Keka yes
Write encrypted archives — AES-256 on output. MacPacker's save panel exposes format and compression level only. MacPacker no; Keka yes
Modify an archive in place — Adding, deleting or renaming entries without a full unpack-and-repack. MacPacker partial; Keka no [notes: 7]
Archive browser — A window that lists an archive's contents before you extract anything. MacPacker yes; Keka no
Browse nested archives — Opening an archive that sits inside another, without extracting the outer one first. MacPacker yes; Keka no
Finder / Quick Look extensions — System integration beyond the app window. MacPacker yes; Keka yes
Command-line interface — Scriptable from a shell. MacPacker no; Keka yes

#### Notes

1. MacPacker identifies formats by content rather than extension, so any ZIP-based container opens as ZIP whatever it is called.
2. Writing a JAR, APK, IPA or similar means writing a ZIP container: none of these apps produce the signing or manifests that make a valid platform package.
3. Supported in practice, but not listed on the vendor's own published format page.
4. .xip is a XAR container, so MacPacker opens it as one.
5. Keka's AAR is the Apple Archive format (.aar, .yaa). MacPacker's .aar is the unrelated ZIP-based Android Archive.
6. MacPacker joins split ZIP sets only — spanned (.z01…) and numeric (.zip.001…). Split RAR or 7z sets are not recognised.
7. ZIP only.

---

### MacPacker vs The Unarchiver

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/compare/the-unarchiver

Each entry reads "App read/write": read = can list and extract that format, write = can create it.

- MacPacker (0.19.0) — Free; GPL-3.0, open source; macOS 14.6+; Archive browser. Reads 39 of the rows below, writes 1.
- The Unarchiver (4.3.9 · Mar 2025) — Free; Proprietary (MacPaw); macOS 10.13+; Extractor. Reads 42 of the rows below, writes 0.

#### Everyday archives

ZIP (.zip .jar .war .apk .ipa .appx .xpi .epub .cbz): MacPacker yes/yes; The Unarchiver yes/no [notes: 1, 2]
ZIPX (.zipx): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no
7z (.7z): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no
RAR / RAR5 (.rar .cbr .r00): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no
TAR (.tar): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no
ARJ (.arj): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver partial/no [notes: 3]
LHA / LZH (.lha .lzh): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no
CAB (.cab): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no
CHM (.chm): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver no/no
CPIO (.cpio .cpgz): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no
ACE (.ace): MacPacker no/no; The Unarchiver partial/no [notes: 4]
ALZip (.alz): MacPacker no/no; The Unarchiver yes/no
ARC / PAK (.arc .pak): MacPacker no/no; The Unarchiver yes/no
Zoo (.zoo): MacPacker no/no; The Unarchiver yes/no

#### Platform & package formats

AR (.ar .a .lib): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no
Debian package (.deb): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no
RPM package (.rpm): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no
XAR (.xar): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no
Apple installer package (.pkg): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no [notes: 5]
Apple signed archive (.xip): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no [notes: 6, 5]
MSI / OLE compound (.msi .doc .xls): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no
Self-extracting EXE / NSIS (.exe .nsis): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver partial/no
Windows imaging (.wim .swm .esd): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver no/no

#### Legacy, Mac-classic and long tail

StuffIt (.sit): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no
StuffIt X (.sitx): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver partial/no
StuffIt self-extracting (.sea): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no [notes: 5]
Compact Pro (.cpt): MacPacker no/no; The Unarchiver yes/no
DiskDoubler / PackIt (.dd .pit): MacPacker no/no; The Unarchiver yes/no
BinHex / MacBinary (.hqx .bin): MacPacker no/no; The Unarchiver yes/no [notes: 5]
LZX (.lzx): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no
Amiga ADF / DMS / PowerPacker (.adf .dms .pp): MacPacker no/no; The Unarchiver yes/no
CP/M LBR / Squeeze / Crunch (.lbr): MacPacker no/no; The Unarchiver yes/no
WARC web archive (.warc): MacPacker no/no; The Unarchiver yes/no
Game data (NDS, NSA, SAR) (.nds .nsa .sar): MacPacker no/no; The Unarchiver yes/no
SWF media extraction (.swf): MacPacker no/no; The Unarchiver yes/no
PDF image extraction (.pdf): MacPacker no/no; The Unarchiver yes/no

#### Single-stream compression

GZIP (.gz): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no
BZIP2 (.bz2): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no
XZ (.xz): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no
LZMA (raw) (.lzma): MacPacker no/no; The Unarchiver yes/no
Unix compress (.Z): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no
LZ4 (.lz4): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver no/no

#### Compound tar streams

tar.gz / tar.bz2 / tar.xz / tar.Z (.tgz .tbz2 .txz .taz): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no
tar.lz4 (.tlz4): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver no/no

#### Disk images and filesystems

Apple Disk Image (.dmg .smi): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver no/no
ISO 9660 (.iso): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver yes/no
Raw disc images (.bin .mdf .nrg .cdi): MacPacker no/no; The Unarchiver yes/no
SquashFS (.squashfs .sfs): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver no/no
FAT (.fat .img): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver no/no
NTFS (.ntfs .img): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver no/no
VirtualBox VDI (.vdi): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver no/no
Hyper-V VHD / VHDX (.vhd .vhdx): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver no/no
VMware VMDK (.vmdk): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver no/no
QEMU QCOW2 (.qcow2): MacPacker yes/no; The Unarchiver no/no

#### Beyond the format list

Open split / multi-volume sets — Joining archives that arrive as .001, .z01 or .r00 parts. MacPacker partial; The Unarchiver yes [notes: 7]
Open password-protected archives — Prompting for a password and decrypting on read. MacPacker yes; The Unarchiver yes
Modify an archive in place — Adding, deleting or renaming entries without a full unpack-and-repack. MacPacker partial; The Unarchiver no [notes: 8]
Archive browser — A window that lists an archive's contents before you extract anything. MacPacker yes; The Unarchiver no
Browse nested archives — Opening an archive that sits inside another, without extracting the outer one first. MacPacker yes; The Unarchiver no
Finder / Quick Look extensions — System integration beyond the app window. MacPacker yes; The Unarchiver no
Command-line interface — Scriptable from a shell. MacPacker no; The Unarchiver partial [notes: 9]

#### Notes

1. MacPacker identifies formats by content rather than extension, so any ZIP-based container opens as ZIP whatever it is called.
2. Writing a JAR, APK, IPA or similar means writing a ZIP container: none of these apps produce the signing or manifests that make a valid platform package.
3. The Unarchiver reads ARJ but not multi-part ARJ sets (vendor's own annotation: “No multi-part”).
4. The Unarchiver reads only pre-2.0 ACE archives — no WinAce (vendor's annotation: “Only old files”).
5. Supported in practice, but not listed on the vendor's own published format page.
6. .xip is a XAR container, so MacPacker opens it as one.
7. MacPacker joins split ZIP sets only — spanned (.z01…) and numeric (.zip.001…). Split RAR or 7z sets are not recognised.
8. ZIP only.
9. The unar and lsar tools are a separate download from the app.

---

### MacPacker vs BetterZip

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/compare/betterzip

Each entry reads "App read/write": read = can list and extract that format, write = can create it.

- MacPacker (0.19.0) — Free; GPL-3.0, open source; macOS 14.6+; Archive browser. Reads 39 of the rows below, writes 1.
- BetterZip (6.0.4 · 2026) — $35 one-time; Proprietary; macOS 13.5+; Archive manager. Reads 34 of the rows below, writes 15.

#### Everyday archives

ZIP (.zip .jar .war .apk .ipa .appx .xpi .epub .cbz): MacPacker yes/yes; BetterZip yes/yes [notes: 1, 2]
ZIPX (.zipx): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip yes/no [notes: 3]
7z (.7z): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip yes/yes
RAR / RAR5 (.rar .cbr .r00): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip yes/partial [notes: 4]
TAR (.tar): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip yes/yes
ARJ (.arj): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip yes/no
LHA / LZH (.lha .lzh): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip yes/no
CAB (.cab): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip yes/no
CHM (.chm): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip yes/no
CPIO (.cpio .cpgz): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip yes/no

#### Platform & package formats

AR (.ar .a .lib): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip no/no
Debian package (.deb): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip yes/no
RPM package (.rpm): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip yes/no
XAR (.xar): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip yes/yes
Apple installer package (.pkg): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip yes/no [notes: 3]
Apple signed archive (.xip): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip yes/no [notes: 5, 3]
MSI / OLE compound (.msi .doc .xls): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip no/no
Self-extracting EXE / NSIS (.exe .nsis): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip partial/no
Windows imaging (.wim .swm .esd): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip yes/no

#### Legacy, Mac-classic and long tail

StuffIt (.sit): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip yes/no
StuffIt X (.sitx): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip yes/no [notes: 3]
StuffIt self-extracting (.sea): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip yes/no [notes: 3]
BinHex / MacBinary (.hqx .bin): MacPacker no/no; BetterZip yes/no
LZX (.lzx): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip no/no
TNEF mail attachment (winmail.dat): MacPacker no/no; BetterZip yes/no
SWF media extraction (.swf): MacPacker no/no; BetterZip yes/no
PDF image extraction (.pdf): MacPacker no/no; BetterZip yes/no

#### Single-stream compression

GZIP (.gz): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip yes/yes
BZIP2 (.bz2): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip yes/yes
XZ (.xz): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip yes/yes
Unix compress (.Z): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip yes/yes
LZ4 (.lz4): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip no/no
Zstandard (.zst): MacPacker no/no; BetterZip yes/yes
Brotli (.br): MacPacker no/no; BetterZip yes/yes

#### Compound tar streams

tar.gz / tar.bz2 / tar.xz / tar.Z (.tgz .tbz2 .txz .taz): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip yes/yes
tar.lz4 (.tlz4): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip no/no
tar.zst / tar.br (.tzst .tbr): MacPacker no/no; BetterZip yes/yes

#### Disk images and filesystems

Apple Disk Image (.dmg .smi): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip yes/yes
ISO 9660 (.iso): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip yes/yes
SquashFS (.squashfs .sfs): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip no/no
FAT (.fat .img): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip no/no
NTFS (.ntfs .img): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip no/no
VirtualBox VDI (.vdi): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip no/no
Hyper-V VHD / VHDX (.vhd .vhdx): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip no/no
VMware VMDK (.vmdk): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip no/no
QEMU QCOW2 (.qcow2): MacPacker yes/no; BetterZip no/no

#### Beyond the format list

Open split / multi-volume sets — Joining archives that arrive as .001, .z01 or .r00 parts. MacPacker partial; BetterZip yes [notes: 6]
Create split volumes — Writing an archive across several sized parts. MacPacker no; BetterZip yes
Open password-protected archives — Prompting for a password and decrypting on read. MacPacker yes; BetterZip yes
Write encrypted archives — AES-256 on output. MacPacker's save panel exposes format and compression level only. MacPacker no; BetterZip yes
Modify an archive in place — Adding, deleting or renaming entries without a full unpack-and-repack. MacPacker partial; BetterZip yes [notes: 7]
Archive browser — A window that lists an archive's contents before you extract anything. MacPacker yes; BetterZip yes
Browse nested archives — Opening an archive that sits inside another, without extracting the outer one first. MacPacker yes; BetterZip no
Finder / Quick Look extensions — System integration beyond the app window. MacPacker yes; BetterZip yes
Command-line interface — Scriptable from a shell. MacPacker no; BetterZip yes

#### Notes

1. MacPacker identifies formats by content rather than extension, so any ZIP-based container opens as ZIP whatever it is called.
2. Writing a JAR, APK, IPA or similar means writing a ZIP container: none of these apps produce the signing or manifests that make a valid platform package.
3. Supported in practice, but not listed on the vendor's own published format page.
4. RAR writing needs the external rar command-line tool, which BetterZip can download and install; the RAR licence is bought separately from win.rar GmbH.
5. .xip is a XAR container, so MacPacker opens it as one.
6. MacPacker joins split ZIP sets only — spanned (.z01…) and numeric (.zip.001…). Split RAR or 7z sets are not recognised.
7. ZIP only.

---

### MacPacker vs 7-Zip

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/compare/7-zip

Each entry reads "App read/write": read = can list and extract that format, write = can create it.

- MacPacker (0.19.0) — Free; GPL-3.0, open source; macOS 14.6+; Archive browser. Reads 39 of the rows below, writes 1.
- 7-Zip (26.02 · macOS console build) — Free; LGPL + BSD, open source; 64-bit macOS; Command line only. Reads 43 of the rows below, writes 9.

#### Everyday archives

ZIP (.zip .jar .war .apk .ipa .appx .xpi .epub .cbz): MacPacker yes/yes; 7-Zip yes/yes [notes: 1, 2]
ZIPX (.zipx): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip partial/no [notes: 3]
7z (.7z): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/yes
RAR / RAR5 (.rar .cbr .r00): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no
TAR (.tar): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/yes
ARJ (.arj): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no
LHA / LZH (.lha .lzh): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no
CAB (.cab): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no
CHM (.chm): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no
CPIO (.cpio .cpgz): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no

#### Platform & package formats

AR (.ar .a .lib): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no
Debian package (.deb): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no
RPM package (.rpm): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no
XAR (.xar): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no
Apple installer package (.pkg): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no
Apple signed archive (.xip): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no [notes: 4]
MSI / OLE compound (.msi .doc .xls): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no
Self-extracting EXE / NSIS (.exe .nsis): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no
Windows imaging (.wim .swm .esd): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/yes

#### Legacy, Mac-classic and long tail

StuffIt (.sit): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip no/no
StuffIt X (.sitx): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip no/no
StuffIt self-extracting (.sea): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip no/no
LZX (.lzx): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip no/no
SWF media extraction (.swf): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip yes/no

#### Single-stream compression

GZIP (.gz): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/yes
BZIP2 (.bz2): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/yes
XZ (.xz): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/yes
LZMA (raw) (.lzma): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip yes/no
Unix compress (.Z): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no
LZ4 (.lz4): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip no/no
Zstandard (.zst): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip yes/no

#### Compound tar streams

tar.gz / tar.bz2 / tar.xz / tar.Z (.tgz .tbz2 .txz .taz): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/partial [notes: 5]
tar.lz4 (.tlz4): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip no/no
tar.zst / tar.br (.tzst .tbr): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip partial/partial [notes: 5]

#### Disk images and filesystems

Apple Disk Image (.dmg .smi): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no
ISO 9660 (.iso): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no
UDF (.udf .iso): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip yes/no
SquashFS (.squashfs .sfs): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no
FAT (.fat .img): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no
NTFS (.ntfs .img): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no
HFS / HFS+ (.hfs .hfsx): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip yes/no
ext2 / ext3 / ext4 (.ext .img): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip yes/no
APFS (.apfs .img): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip yes/no
CramFS (.cramfs): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip yes/no
VirtualBox VDI (.vdi): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no
Hyper-V VHD / VHDX (.vhd .vhdx): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no
VMware VMDK (.vmdk): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no
QEMU QCOW2 (.qcow2): MacPacker yes/no; 7-Zip yes/no
MBR / GPT partition maps (.mbr .gpt): MacPacker no/no; 7-Zip yes/no

#### Beyond the format list

Open split / multi-volume sets — Joining archives that arrive as .001, .z01 or .r00 parts. MacPacker partial; 7-Zip yes [notes: 6]
Create split volumes — Writing an archive across several sized parts. MacPacker no; 7-Zip yes
Open password-protected archives — Prompting for a password and decrypting on read. MacPacker yes; 7-Zip yes
Write encrypted archives — AES-256 on output. MacPacker's save panel exposes format and compression level only. MacPacker no; 7-Zip yes
Modify an archive in place — Adding, deleting or renaming entries without a full unpack-and-repack. MacPacker partial; 7-Zip yes [notes: 7]
Archive browser — A window that lists an archive's contents before you extract anything. MacPacker yes; 7-Zip partial [notes: 8]
Browse nested archives — Opening an archive that sits inside another, without extracting the outer one first. MacPacker yes; 7-Zip no
Finder / Quick Look extensions — System integration beyond the app window. MacPacker yes; 7-Zip no
Command-line interface — Scriptable from a shell. MacPacker no; 7-Zip yes

#### Notes

1. MacPacker identifies formats by content rather than extension, so any ZIP-based container opens as ZIP whatever it is called.
2. Writing a JAR, APK, IPA or similar means writing a ZIP container: none of these apps produce the signing or manifests that make a valid platform package.
3. 7-Zip's ZIP handler registers the .zipx extension and decodes the LZMA, PPMd and BZip2 methods WinZip uses, but 7-Zip does not advertise ZIPX as an output format.
4. .xip is a XAR container, so MacPacker opens it as one.
5. Two passes: the tar is built first, then compressed. There is no single command for it.
6. MacPacker joins split ZIP sets only — spanned (.z01…) and numeric (.zip.001…). Split RAR or 7z sets are not recognised.
7. ZIP only.
8. The macOS build of 7-Zip is a console binary: 7zz l lists an archive, but there is no window.

## Format guides

Step-by-step guides for opening and extracting every supported format on macOS. Each guide covers the built-in macOS way first, then what MacPacker adds.

### How to Extract Files from a ZIP Archive on macOS

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/docs/zip
Extensions: .zip

ZIP is by far the most common archive format you'll encounter on macOS. Whether you downloaded a file from the web, received an email attachment, or exported a project, there's a good chance it arrived as a .zip file. macOS can open ZIP files natively — but extracting specific files from a large ZIP archive requires a more capable tool.

Default macOS method: Archive Utility (built-in)
Steps:
1. Double-click the .zip file in Finder.
2. Archive Utility extracts all contents into a folder next to the original file.
3. Alternatively, right-click the file and choose "Open With > Archive Utility".

Note: Archive Utility always extracts the entire archive. There is no built-in way to preview contents or extract individual files.

With MacPacker: browse the ZIP archive like a folder, preview files with Quick Look, and drag out individual files without extracting everything.

FAQ:

Q: How do I open a ZIP file on Mac?
A: Double-click the .zip file in Finder. macOS will automatically extract all contents using Archive Utility. For selective extraction, use MacPacker to browse the archive and drag out only the files you need.

Q: Can I extract a single file from a ZIP archive on Mac?
A: The built-in Archive Utility extracts everything at once. To extract individual files, use MacPacker — it lets you browse the archive contents and extract specific files by dragging them out.

Q: How do I unzip a file using Terminal on Mac?
A: Open Terminal and run: unzip archive.zip — this extracts all files. To extract a specific file, run: unzip archive.zip path/to/file.txt

---

### How to Extract Files from a RAR Archive on macOS

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/docs/rar
Extensions: .rar

RAR archives are common for large file downloads, game mods, and multi-part archives. Unlike ZIP, macOS cannot open RAR files natively — you need a third-party tool like Keka or MacPacker to extract them.

Default macOS method: Keka or unrar (third-party)
Command: `unrar x archive.rar`
Steps:
1. Install unrar via Homebrew: brew install unrar
2. Open Terminal and navigate to the folder containing the .rar file.
3. Run: unrar x archive.rar
4. Alternatively, install Keka from the App Store and double-click the .rar file.

Note: macOS has no built-in RAR support. Keka extracts the entire archive. The unrar command supports extracting specific files with: unrar e archive.rar path/to/file

With MacPacker: browse the RAR archive like a folder, preview files with Quick Look, and drag out individual files without extracting everything.

FAQ:

Q: How do I open a RAR file on Mac?
A: macOS cannot open RAR files natively. Install a free tool like MacPacker or Keka. With MacPacker, simply open the .rar file to browse its contents and extract what you need.

Q: Is there a free RAR extractor for Mac?
A: Yes. MacPacker is a free, open-source archive manager that supports RAR files. You can also use Keka (free from the developer's site) or install unrar via Homebrew.

Q: Can I extract a single file from a RAR archive on Mac?
A: With MacPacker, yes — open the .rar file, browse the contents, and drag out only the files you need. With the command line, use: unrar e archive.rar path/to/file

---

### How to Extract Files from a 7z Archive on macOS

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/docs/7z
Extensions: .7z

7z archives offer some of the best compression ratios available, making them popular for distributing large files. macOS doesn't support 7z natively, so you'll need a third-party tool to open them.

Default macOS method: 7zz via Homebrew (third-party)
Command: `7zz x archive.7z`
Steps:
1. Install 7-Zip via Homebrew: brew install 7zip
2. Open Terminal and navigate to the folder containing the .7z file.
3. Run: 7zz x archive.7z
4. Alternatively, install Keka and double-click the .7z file.

Note: macOS has no built-in 7z support. The 7zz command can list contents with: 7zz l archive.7z, and extract specific files with: 7zz e archive.7z file.txt

With MacPacker: browse the 7z archive like a folder, preview files with Quick Look, and drag out individual files without extracting everything.

FAQ:

Q: How do I open a 7z file on Mac?
A: macOS cannot open .7z files natively. Use MacPacker (free, open-source) to open and browse 7z archives. Alternatively, install 7-Zip via Homebrew: brew install 7zip, then run: 7zz x archive.7z

Q: What is the best 7z extractor for Mac?
A: MacPacker is a free, native macOS app that opens 7z files with a visual file browser. It lets you preview contents, navigate nested archives, and extract individual files — features that command-line tools don't offer.

Q: Can I extract specific files from a 7z archive on Mac?
A: Yes. MacPacker lets you browse the 7z archive and drag out specific files. With the command line, use: 7zz e archive.7z path/to/file

---

### How to Extract Files from a TAR Archive on macOS

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/docs/tar
Extensions: .tar

TAR is a Unix staple for bundling files together. While TAR itself doesn't compress data, it's almost always paired with a compression algorithm (gzip, bzip2, xz) to create .tar.gz, .tar.bz2, or .tar.xz files. macOS supports TAR natively through Terminal.

Default macOS method: Terminal (built-in)
Command: `tar xf archive.tar`
Steps:
1. Open Terminal.
2. Navigate to the folder containing the .tar file.
3. Run: tar xf archive.tar
4. For compressed variants: tar xzf archive.tar.gz, tar xjf archive.tar.bz2, or tar xJf archive.tar.xz

Note: The tar command supports extracting specific files: tar xf archive.tar path/to/file. You can list contents first with: tar tf archive.tar

With MacPacker: browse the TAR archive like a folder, preview files with Quick Look, and drag out individual files without extracting everything.

FAQ:

Q: How do I extract a TAR file on Mac?
A: Open Terminal and run: tar xf archive.tar — this extracts all files into the current directory. For .tar.gz files, use: tar xzf archive.tar.gz

Q: Can I preview the contents of a TAR file without extracting?
A: In Terminal, run: tar tf archive.tar to list all files. For a visual file browser with Quick Look support, use MacPacker — it lets you navigate the archive like a folder.

Q: Can I extract a single file from a TAR archive on Mac?
A: Yes. In Terminal, run: tar xf archive.tar path/to/file — this extracts only the specified file. MacPacker also supports selective extraction via drag and drop.

---

### How to Extract Files from a GZ (Gzip) Archive on macOS

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/docs/gz
Extensions: .gz, .tar.gz, .tgz

GZ (Gzip) is the standard compression format in the Unix world. On macOS, you'll most often encounter it as .tar.gz or .tgz files — a TAR archive compressed with Gzip. macOS handles Gzip natively through both Archive Utility and Terminal.

Default macOS method: Terminal (built-in)
Command: `gunzip file.gz`
Steps:
1. For standalone .gz files: gunzip file.gz (decompresses in place).
2. For .tar.gz archives: tar xzf archive.tar.gz
3. Double-clicking a .tar.gz in Finder will also extract it via Archive Utility.

Note: Archive Utility extracts everything. Terminal's tar command supports selective extraction from .tar.gz: tar xzf archive.tar.gz path/to/file

With MacPacker: browse the GZ archive like a folder, preview files with Quick Look, and drag out individual files without extracting everything.

FAQ:

Q: How do I extract a .gz file on Mac?
A: For a standalone .gz file, open Terminal and run: gunzip file.gz. For .tar.gz archives, run: tar xzf archive.tar.gz. You can also double-click .tar.gz files in Finder.

Q: Can I extract specific files from a .tar.gz archive?
A: Yes. In Terminal: tar xzf archive.tar.gz path/to/file. With MacPacker, browse the archive visually and drag out individual files.

---

### How to Extract Files from a BZ2 (Bzip2) Archive on macOS

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/docs/bz2
Extensions: .bz2, .tar.bz2, .tbz2

BZ2 (Bzip2) provides higher compression ratios than Gzip, making it popular for distributing source code and large datasets. macOS supports Bzip2 natively through Terminal.

Default macOS method: Terminal (built-in)
Command: `bunzip2 file.bz2`
Steps:
1. For standalone .bz2 files: bunzip2 file.bz2 (decompresses in place).
2. For .tar.bz2 archives: tar xjf archive.tar.bz2
3. Double-clicking a .tar.bz2 in Finder will also extract it via Archive Utility.

Note: Terminal's tar command supports selective extraction: tar xjf archive.tar.bz2 path/to/file

With MacPacker: browse the BZ2 archive like a folder, preview files with Quick Look, and drag out individual files without extracting everything.

FAQ:

Q: How do I extract a .bz2 file on Mac?
A: Open Terminal and run: bunzip2 file.bz2. For .tar.bz2 archives, run: tar xjf archive.tar.bz2. Finder can also handle .tar.bz2 via Archive Utility.

Q: What is the difference between .gz and .bz2?
A: Both are compression formats. Bzip2 (.bz2) achieves better compression ratios but is slower than Gzip (.gz). For most users, the difference is negligible — both work on macOS.

---

### How to Extract Files from a XZ Archive on macOS

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/docs/xz
Extensions: .xz, .tar.xz, .txz

XZ compression uses the LZMA2 algorithm to achieve some of the best compression ratios available. It's widely used in Linux package managers and for distributing large software packages. macOS supports XZ through Terminal.

Default macOS method: Terminal (built-in)
Command: `xz -d file.xz`
Steps:
1. For standalone .xz files: xz -d file.xz (decompresses in place).
2. For .tar.xz archives: tar xJf archive.tar.xz
3. If xz is not installed, get it via Homebrew: brew install xz

Note: The xz command comes pre-installed on recent macOS versions. Terminal's tar command supports selective extraction: tar xJf archive.tar.xz path/to/file

With MacPacker: browse the XZ archive like a folder, preview files with Quick Look, and drag out individual files without extracting everything.

FAQ:

Q: How do I extract a .xz file on Mac?
A: Open Terminal and run: xz -d file.xz. For .tar.xz archives: tar xJf archive.tar.xz. Note the capital J flag for xz-compressed tar archives.

Q: Is XZ supported on macOS?
A: Yes. Recent macOS versions include the xz command. You can also open .xz and .tar.xz files with MacPacker for a visual browsing experience.

---

### How to Extract Files from a LZ4 Archive on macOS

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/docs/lz4
Extensions: .lz4, .tar.lz4

LZ4 is an extremely fast compression algorithm that trades compression ratio for speed. Apple uses LZ4 internally in APFS, and it's common in real-time data processing. macOS can handle LZ4 via Homebrew tools.

Default macOS method: lz4 via Homebrew (third-party)
Command: `lz4 -d file.lz4 file`
Steps:
1. Install lz4 via Homebrew: brew install lz4
2. Decompress: lz4 -d file.lz4 file
3. For .tar.lz4: lz4 -d archive.tar.lz4 | tar xf -

Note: macOS does not include lz4 command-line tools by default.

With MacPacker: browse the LZ4 archive like a folder, preview files with Quick Look, and drag out individual files without extracting everything.

FAQ:

Q: How do I open an LZ4 file on Mac?
A: Install lz4 via Homebrew (brew install lz4), then run: lz4 -d file.lz4 output. For a visual approach, MacPacker can open LZ4 files directly.

Q: What is LZ4 compression?
A: LZ4 is an extremely fast lossless compression algorithm. It's optimized for speed rather than compression ratio, making it ideal for real-time applications. Apple uses LZ4 in APFS.

---

### How to Extract Files from a Z (Unix Compress) Archive on macOS

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/docs/z
Extensions: .Z

The .Z format is the original Unix compression format, created by the compress utility. While largely replaced by Gzip and newer formats, you may still encounter .Z files in legacy systems, old FTP archives, and historical software distributions.

Default macOS method: Terminal (built-in)
Command: `uncompress file.Z`
Steps:
1. Open Terminal.
2. Run: uncompress file.Z (decompresses in place).
3. Alternatively: gzip -d file.Z (Gzip can decompress .Z files).

Note: The uncompress command is available on macOS. For .tar.Z files, use: uncompress -c archive.tar.Z | tar xf -

With MacPacker: browse the Z archive like a folder, preview files with Quick Look, and drag out individual files without extracting everything.

FAQ:

Q: How do I open a .Z file on Mac?
A: Open Terminal and run: uncompress file.Z — this decompresses the file in place. You can also use: gzip -d file.Z since Gzip is backwards-compatible with Unix compress.

---

### How to Extract Files from a DMG Disk Image on macOS

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/docs/dmg
Extensions: .dmg

DMG (Apple Disk Image) is the standard format for distributing macOS software. When you download an app from a developer's website, it almost always comes as a .dmg file. macOS mounts DMG files natively, but extracting specific files from complex DMG images can be challenging.

Default macOS method: Finder / hdiutil (built-in)
Command: `hdiutil attach image.dmg`
Steps:
1. Double-click the .dmg file in Finder to mount it.
2. The disk image appears as a volume in Finder's sidebar.
3. Drag the app or files to your desired location.
4. Eject the volume when done by clicking the eject icon.
5. From Terminal: hdiutil attach image.dmg

Note: macOS mounts DMG files as virtual drives. You can browse and copy files freely, but this requires mounting. Encrypted DMG files will prompt for a password.

With MacPacker: browse the DMG archive like a folder, preview files with Quick Look, and drag out individual files without extracting everything.

FAQ:

Q: How do I open a DMG file on Mac?
A: Double-click the .dmg file in Finder. macOS will mount it as a virtual drive. You can then drag files from the mounted volume. With MacPacker, you can browse DMG contents directly without mounting.

Q: How do I extract a DMG file without mounting it?
A: MacPacker lets you browse DMG contents like a folder — no mounting required. From Terminal, you can use: hdiutil attach image.dmg to mount, or use 7zz to extract: 7zz x image.dmg

Q: Can I open a DMG file on Windows?
A: DMG is a macOS-specific format. On macOS, use MacPacker or Finder to open DMG files. On other platforms, specialized tools like 7-Zip can extract DMG contents.

---

### How to Extract Files from a ISO Disk Image on macOS

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/docs/iso
Extensions: .iso

ISO files are sector-by-sector copies of optical discs. They're commonly used for operating system installers, bootable media, and large software distributions. macOS can mount ISO files natively, but extracting individual files requires additional steps.

Default macOS method: Finder / hdiutil (built-in)
Command: `hdiutil attach image.iso`
Steps:
1. Double-click the .iso file in Finder to mount it.
2. The ISO mounts as a read-only volume.
3. Browse and copy files from the mounted volume.
4. Eject when done using the sidebar eject icon.
5. From Terminal: hdiutil attach image.iso

Note: macOS mounts ISO images as read-only volumes. You can copy files out freely. Some ISO files may not mount if they use unusual filesystems.

With MacPacker: browse the ISO archive like a folder, preview files with Quick Look, and drag out individual files without extracting everything.

FAQ:

Q: How do I open an ISO file on Mac?
A: Double-click the .iso file in Finder to mount it as a virtual drive. You can then browse and copy files. With MacPacker, you can browse ISO contents directly without mounting.

Q: Can I extract files from an ISO without mounting?
A: Yes. MacPacker lets you browse ISO contents like a folder and extract individual files without mounting. Alternatively, use 7zz from the command line: 7zz x image.iso

---

### How to Extract Files from a PKG Archive on macOS

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/docs/pkg
Extensions: .pkg

PKG files are macOS installer packages used for software that needs system-level installation — drivers, frameworks, system utilities, and enterprise software. While macOS handles PKG installation natively, inspecting the contents of a PKG file before running it is a smart security practice.

Default macOS method: Installer.app / pkgutil (built-in)
Command: `pkgutil --expand package.pkg output_dir`
Steps:
1. To install: double-click the .pkg file and follow the installer wizard.
2. To inspect contents before installing: pkgutil --payload-files package.pkg
3. To expand the package: pkgutil --expand package.pkg output_dir
4. To extract payload: cd output_dir && cat Payload | cpio -id

Note: pkgutil can list and expand packages, but the workflow is complex. MacPacker provides a visual browser for PKG contents.

With MacPacker: browse the PKG archive like a folder, preview files with Quick Look, and drag out individual files without extracting everything.

FAQ:

Q: How do I inspect a PKG file before installing on Mac?
A: Use MacPacker to open the .pkg file and browse its contents without installing. From Terminal, run: pkgutil --payload-files package.pkg to list the files it would install.

Q: Can I extract a PKG file without installing it?
A: Yes. Use MacPacker to browse and extract specific files visually. From Terminal: pkgutil --expand package.pkg output_dir to expand the package structure.

Q: Is it safe to open a PKG file on Mac?
A: PKG files run installer scripts that can modify your system. Always verify the source. Use MacPacker to inspect PKG contents before installing — you can see exactly what files it contains.

---

### How to Extract Files from a CAB (Windows Cabinet) Archive on macOS

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/docs/cab
Extensions: .cab

CAB (Cabinet) files are Microsoft's archive format, commonly found in Windows installer packages, driver distributions, and Windows Update files. If you're working cross-platform or dealing with Windows software on your Mac, you may need to extract CAB files.

Default macOS method: cabextract via Homebrew (third-party)
Command: `cabextract archive.cab`
Steps:
1. Install cabextract via Homebrew: brew install cabextract
2. Run: cabextract archive.cab
3. Files are extracted to the current directory.

Note: macOS has no built-in CAB support. cabextract always extracts all files.

With MacPacker: browse the CAB archive like a folder, preview files with Quick Look, and drag out individual files without extracting everything.

FAQ:

Q: How do I open a CAB file on Mac?
A: macOS cannot open CAB files natively. Use MacPacker to browse and extract CAB archives visually. Alternatively, install cabextract via Homebrew: brew install cabextract, then run: cabextract archive.cab

---

### How to Extract Files from a CPIO Archive on macOS

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/docs/cpio
Extensions: .cpio

CPIO (Copy In/Copy Out) is a Unix archive format used internally by macOS installer packages (PKG files), Linux RPM packages, and initramfs images. While not commonly encountered directly, knowing how to handle CPIO files can be useful for developers and system administrators.

Default macOS method: Terminal (built-in)
Command: `cpio -id < archive.cpio`
Steps:
1. Open Terminal.
2. Navigate to the desired output directory.
3. Run: cpio -id < archive.cpio
4. To list contents: cpio -it < archive.cpio

Note: The cpio command is available on macOS. It reads from stdin, so use < redirection.

With MacPacker: browse the CPIO archive like a folder, preview files with Quick Look, and drag out individual files without extracting everything.

FAQ:

Q: How do I extract a CPIO file on Mac?
A: Open Terminal and run: cpio -id < archive.cpio. To list contents first: cpio -it < archive.cpio. MacPacker also supports CPIO files with visual browsing.

---

### How to Extract Files from a XAR Archive on macOS

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/docs/xar
Extensions: .xar

XAR (eXtensible ARchive) is an archive format designed by Apple, used internally for macOS installer packages (.pkg files) and Xcode components. While you rarely encounter standalone .xar files, understanding the format helps when inspecting macOS packages.

Default macOS method: Terminal (built-in)
Command: `xar -xf archive.xar`
Steps:
1. Open Terminal.
2. Run: xar -xf archive.xar
3. To list contents: xar -tf archive.xar

Note: The xar command is available on macOS. It's the native tool for XAR archives.

With MacPacker: browse the XAR archive like a folder, preview files with Quick Look, and drag out individual files without extracting everything.

FAQ:

Q: What is a XAR file?
A: XAR (eXtensible ARchive) is Apple's archive format. It's used internally by macOS installer packages (.pkg). You can extract XAR files with: xar -xf archive.xar or browse them visually with MacPacker.

---

### How to Extract Files from a SIT (StuffIt) Archive on macOS

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/docs/sit
Extensions: .sit, .sitx

StuffIt (.sit) was the dominant archive format on classic Mac OS throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. While largely replaced by ZIP, you may encounter SIT files when accessing legacy Mac software, vintage archives, or old Mac-formatted media.

Default macOS method: The Unarchiver (third-party)
Steps:
1. Install The Unarchiver from the Mac App Store (free).
2. Right-click the .sit file and choose "Open With > The Unarchiver".
3. Files are extracted to a folder next to the original.
4. Alternatively, use MacPacker which also supports StuffIt archives.

Note: macOS has no built-in StuffIt support. The original StuffIt Expander is discontinued. The Unarchiver or MacPacker can handle .sit files.

With MacPacker: browse the SIT archive like a folder, preview files with Quick Look, and drag out individual files without extracting everything.

FAQ:

Q: How do I open a StuffIt (.sit) file on modern macOS?
A: macOS no longer includes StuffIt support. Use MacPacker (free, open-source) or The Unarchiver to open .sit files. MacPacker lets you browse the archive contents before extracting.

---

### How to Extract Files from a SEA (Self-Extracting) Archive on macOS

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/docs/sea
Extensions: .sea

SEA (Self-Extracting Archive) files were common in the classic Mac OS era. They bundle the archive data with extraction code, so the recipient didn't need separate decompression software. Modern macOS cannot run classic SEA files, but tools like MacPacker can extract their contents.

Default macOS method: The Unarchiver or MacPacker (third-party)
Steps:
1. Install MacPacker or The Unarchiver.
2. Open the .sea file with the chosen application.
3. The contents are extracted to a folder.

Note: Modern macOS cannot execute classic SEA files. They must be treated as archives and extracted with a compatible tool.

With MacPacker: browse the SEA archive like a folder, preview files with Quick Look, and drag out individual files without extracting everything.

FAQ:

Q: How do I open a SEA file on modern macOS?
A: Modern macOS cannot run classic self-extracting archives. Use MacPacker to open .sea files as regular archives — browse the contents and extract what you need.

---

### How to Extract Files from a ARJ Archive on macOS

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/docs/arj
Extensions: .arj

ARJ (Archived by Robert Jung) was a popular archive format in the DOS era, known for multi-volume archive support. While rarely used today, you may encounter ARJ files when working with retro computing resources or legacy data archives.

Default macOS method: 7zz via Homebrew (third-party)
Command: `7zz x archive.arj`
Steps:
1. Install 7-Zip via Homebrew: brew install 7zip
2. Run: 7zz x archive.arj

Note: macOS has no built-in ARJ support. 7-Zip can extract ARJ archives.

With MacPacker: browse the ARJ archive like a folder, preview files with Quick Look, and drag out individual files without extracting everything.

FAQ:

Q: How do I open an ARJ file on Mac?
A: macOS doesn't support ARJ natively. Use MacPacker to browse and extract ARJ archives visually, or install 7-Zip via Homebrew and run: 7zz x archive.arj

---

### How to Extract Files from a LHA/LZH Archive on macOS

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/docs/lha
Extensions: .lha, .lzh

LHA (also known as LZH or LHarc) is an archive format that was especially popular in Japan and the Amiga computing community. While uncommon today, LHA archives are still found in retro computing archives, Japanese software distributions, and Amiga preservation projects.

Default macOS method: lha via Homebrew (third-party)
Command: `lha x archive.lha`
Steps:
1. Install lha via Homebrew: brew install lha
2. Run: lha x archive.lha
3. Alternatively, use 7-Zip: 7zz x archive.lha

Note: macOS has no built-in LHA support.

With MacPacker: browse the LHA archive like a folder, preview files with Quick Look, and drag out individual files without extracting everything.

FAQ:

Q: How do I open an LHA or LZH file on Mac?
A: Use MacPacker to open LHA/LZH files with a visual browser. Alternatively, install lha via Homebrew (brew install lha) and run: lha x archive.lha

---

### How to Extract Files from a LZH Archive on macOS

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/docs/lzh
Extensions: .lzh

LZH files use the same format as LHA — the extension is simply an alternative naming convention that was particularly popular in Japanese computing. If you've encountered a .lzh file on macOS, the extraction process is identical to LHA.

Default macOS method: lha via Homebrew (third-party)
Command: `lha x archive.lzh`
Steps:
1. Install lha via Homebrew: brew install lha
2. Run: lha x archive.lzh
3. Alternatively, use 7-Zip: 7zz x archive.lzh

Note: LZH and LHA are the same format with different extensions.

With MacPacker: browse the LZH archive like a folder, preview files with Quick Look, and drag out individual files without extracting everything.

FAQ:

Q: What is the difference between LHA and LZH?
A: LHA and LZH are the same archive format. The .lzh extension is an alternative naming convention. Both can be opened with MacPacker or extracted with the lha command-line tool.

---

### How to Extract Files from a LZX Archive on macOS

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/docs/lzx
Extensions: .lzx

LZX is a compression format from the Amiga computing platform. It's extremely rare on modern systems but may be encountered when working with Amiga software preservation archives or retro computing collections.

Default macOS method: 7zz via Homebrew (third-party)
Command: `7zz x archive.lzx`
Steps:
1. Install 7-Zip via Homebrew: brew install 7zip
2. Run: 7zz x archive.lzx

Note: macOS has no built-in LZX support. 7-Zip or MacPacker can handle LZX archives.

With MacPacker: browse the LZX archive like a folder, preview files with Quick Look, and drag out individual files without extracting everything.

FAQ:

Q: How do I open an LZX file on Mac?
A: LZX is an Amiga archive format. Use MacPacker to browse and extract LZX files visually, or install 7-Zip via Homebrew and run: 7zz x archive.lzx

---

### How to Extract Files from a CHM Archive on macOS

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/docs/chm
Extensions: .chm

CHM (Compiled HTML Help) files are Microsoft's documentation format, containing compressed HTML pages, images, and a search index. You may encounter CHM files when accessing Windows software documentation, technical manuals, or programming references on your Mac.

Default macOS method: 7zz via Homebrew or extract-chm (third-party)
Command: `7zz x file.chm -ooutput_dir`
Steps:
1. Install 7-Zip via Homebrew: brew install 7zip
2. Extract: 7zz x file.chm -ooutput_dir
3. Open the extracted HTML files in a browser.
4. For reading CHM directly, install iCHM from the App Store.

Note: macOS has no built-in CHM viewer. Extracting with 7-Zip gives you the raw HTML/image files. MacPacker can browse CHM contents.

With MacPacker: browse the CHM archive like a folder, preview files with Quick Look, and drag out individual files without extracting everything.

FAQ:

Q: How do I read a CHM file on Mac?
A: macOS has no built-in CHM reader. Use MacPacker to browse and extract CHM contents, or install iCHM from the App Store for a dedicated reader. You can also extract the HTML with: 7zz x file.chm

---

### How to Extract Files from a FAT Disk Image on macOS

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/docs/fat
Extensions: .fat, .img

FAT (File Allocation Table) is a widely compatible filesystem used in USB drives, SD cards, and embedded systems. FAT disk images (.img) are common in embedded development, Raspberry Pi distributions, and cross-platform file sharing.

Default macOS method: hdiutil (built-in)
Command: `hdiutil attach image.img`
Steps:
1. From Terminal: hdiutil attach image.img
2. The FAT image mounts as a volume in Finder.
3. Browse and copy files freely.
4. Eject when done.

Note: macOS can mount FAT images. However, raw disk images may require specifying the filesystem type.

With MacPacker: browse the FAT archive like a folder, preview files with Quick Look, and drag out individual files without extracting everything.

FAQ:

Q: How do I open a FAT disk image on Mac?
A: From Terminal, run: hdiutil attach image.img to mount the FAT image. You can then browse files in Finder. MacPacker can also browse FAT images directly without mounting.

---

### How to Extract Files from a NTFS Disk Image on macOS

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/docs/ntfs
Extensions: .ntfs

NTFS (New Technology File System) is the standard filesystem on Windows. NTFS disk images are common in forensic analysis, Windows system backups, and virtual machine disk captures. macOS has limited read-only NTFS support.

Default macOS method: Limited built-in support / third-party tools
Steps:
1. macOS can mount NTFS volumes in read-only mode.
2. For disk images, third-party tools may be needed.
3. Use MacPacker to browse NTFS image contents without mounting.

Note: macOS NTFS support is read-only. Full read-write requires third-party drivers like Paragon NTFS. MacPacker can browse NTFS images.

With MacPacker: browse the NTFS archive like a folder, preview files with Quick Look, and drag out individual files without extracting everything.

FAQ:

Q: Can I read NTFS files on Mac?
A: macOS supports NTFS in read-only mode for mounted drives. For NTFS disk images, use MacPacker to browse and extract files without needing to mount the image.

---

### How to Extract Files from a VMDK (VMware) Disk Image on macOS

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/docs/vmdk
Extensions: .vmdk

VMDK (Virtual Machine Disk) is VMware's virtual disk format, used by VMware Fusion, Workstation, and ESXi. If you need to extract files from a VMware virtual machine without booting it, you'll need a tool that can read VMDK disk images.

Default macOS method: 7zz via Homebrew (third-party)
Command: `7zz x disk.vmdk`
Steps:
1. Install 7-Zip via Homebrew: brew install 7zip
2. Run: 7zz x disk.vmdk
3. For VMware Fusion users: you can also mount the VMDK through VMware.

Note: macOS cannot mount VMDK files natively. 7-Zip can extract filesystem contents. MacPacker provides visual browsing of VMDK images.

With MacPacker: browse the VMDK archive like a folder, preview files with Quick Look, and drag out individual files without extracting everything.

FAQ:

Q: How do I extract files from a VMDK on Mac?
A: Use MacPacker to browse VMDK contents and extract individual files without booting the virtual machine. Alternatively, install 7-Zip via Homebrew and run: 7zz x disk.vmdk

Q: Can I open a VMDK file without VMware?
A: Yes. MacPacker can open and browse VMDK disk images directly — no VMware installation required. You can navigate the filesystem and extract files you need.

---

### How to Extract Files from a VHD (Hyper-V) Disk Image on macOS

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/docs/vhd
Extensions: .vhd

VHD (Virtual Hard Disk) is Microsoft's virtual disk format, used by Hyper-V, Azure, and Windows Virtual PC. If you've received a VHD file or need to extract data from a Windows virtual machine on your Mac, you'll need specialized tools.

Default macOS method: 7zz via Homebrew (third-party)
Command: `7zz x disk.vhd`
Steps:
1. Install 7-Zip via Homebrew: brew install 7zip
2. Run: 7zz x disk.vhd

Note: macOS cannot mount VHD files natively. 7-Zip or MacPacker can extract contents.

With MacPacker: browse the VHD archive like a folder, preview files with Quick Look, and drag out individual files without extracting everything.

FAQ:

Q: How do I open a VHD file on Mac?
A: macOS cannot open VHD files natively. Use MacPacker to browse the virtual disk's filesystem and extract files. Alternatively: brew install 7zip && 7zz x disk.vhd

---

### How to Extract Files from a VHDX (Hyper-V) Disk Image on macOS

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/docs/vhdx
Extensions: .vhdx

VHDX is the updated version of Microsoft's VHD virtual disk format, supporting disks up to 64 TB with better data corruption protection. Used by modern Hyper-V and Azure deployments, VHDX files require specialized tools on macOS.

Default macOS method: 7zz via Homebrew (third-party)
Command: `7zz x disk.vhdx`
Steps:
1. Install 7-Zip via Homebrew: brew install 7zip
2. Run: 7zz x disk.vhdx

Note: macOS cannot mount VHDX files. 7-Zip or MacPacker can read the filesystem contents.

With MacPacker: browse the VHDX archive like a folder, preview files with Quick Look, and drag out individual files without extracting everything.

FAQ:

Q: What is the difference between VHD and VHDX?
A: VHDX is the newer format supporting larger disks (up to 64 TB vs 2 TB for VHD) and better resilience. Both can be opened on macOS with MacPacker or 7-Zip.

---

### How to Extract Files from a VDI (VirtualBox) Disk Image on macOS

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/docs/vdi
Extensions: .vdi

VDI (VirtualBox Disk Image) is the native disk format for Oracle VirtualBox. If you need to extract files from a VirtualBox VM without booting it, or recover data from a VDI file on your Mac, you'll need a tool that can read the VDI format.

Default macOS method: 7zz via Homebrew (third-party)
Command: `7zz x disk.vdi`
Steps:
1. Install 7-Zip via Homebrew: brew install 7zip
2. Run: 7zz x disk.vdi

Note: macOS cannot mount VDI files natively. VirtualBox itself can mount them, but 7-Zip or MacPacker can extract without VirtualBox.

With MacPacker: browse the VDI archive like a folder, preview files with Quick Look, and drag out individual files without extracting everything.

FAQ:

Q: How do I extract files from a VDI without VirtualBox?
A: Use MacPacker to browse the VDI filesystem and extract individual files — no VirtualBox needed. Alternatively: brew install 7zip && 7zz x disk.vdi

---

### How to Extract Files from a QCOW2 (QEMU) Disk Image on macOS

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/docs/qcow2
Extensions: .qcow2, .qcow

QCOW2 (QEMU Copy-On-Write version 2) is the disk image format used by QEMU and KVM virtualization. It supports snapshots, compression, and encryption. If you're working with Linux virtual machines or cloud images on your Mac, you may encounter QCOW2 files.

Default macOS method: qemu-img via Homebrew (third-party)
Command: `qemu-img convert -f qcow2 -O raw disk.qcow2 disk.raw`
Steps:
1. Install QEMU via Homebrew: brew install qemu
2. Convert to raw: qemu-img convert -f qcow2 -O raw disk.qcow2 disk.raw
3. Mount the raw image: hdiutil attach disk.raw
4. Alternatively, use MacPacker to browse QCOW2 contents directly.

Note: Direct QCOW2 access requires conversion or specialized tools. MacPacker can browse QCOW2 images directly.

With MacPacker: browse the QCOW2 archive like a folder, preview files with Quick Look, and drag out individual files without extracting everything.

FAQ:

Q: How do I open a QCOW2 file on Mac?
A: Use MacPacker to browse QCOW2 filesystem contents directly. Alternatively, install QEMU (brew install qemu) and convert to raw: qemu-img convert -f qcow2 -O raw disk.qcow2 disk.raw, then mount with hdiutil.

---

### How to Extract Files from a SquashFS Disk Image on macOS

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/docs/squashfs
Extensions: .squashfs, .sqfs, .sfs

SquashFS is a compressed, read-only filesystem commonly used in Linux live CDs, AppImage packages, Ubuntu snap packages, and embedded systems. If you work with Linux distributions or embedded development on your Mac, you may need to extract SquashFS images.

Default macOS method: squashfuse via Homebrew (third-party)
Command: `unsquashfs image.squashfs`
Steps:
1. Install squashfs tools via Homebrew: brew install squashfs
2. Extract: unsquashfs image.squashfs
3. Contents are extracted to a squashfs-root/ directory.

Note: macOS has no built-in SquashFS support. The unsquashfs command extracts everything. MacPacker can browse SquashFS images.

With MacPacker: browse the SquashFS archive like a folder, preview files with Quick Look, and drag out individual files without extracting everything.

FAQ:

Q: How do I extract a SquashFS image on Mac?
A: Install squashfs tools (brew install squashfs) and run: unsquashfs image.squashfs. MacPacker can also browse SquashFS images visually and extract individual files.

---

### How to Extract Files from a TAR.Z Archive on macOS

Canonical URL: https://macpacker.app/en/docs/tar-z
Extensions: .tar.Z, .taz

TAR.Z files are TAR archives compressed with the original Unix compress utility. While the format is largely obsolete (replaced by .tar.gz and .tar.xz), you may encounter TAR.Z files in legacy Unix archives, old FTP mirrors, and historical software distributions.

Default macOS method: Terminal (built-in)
Command: `uncompress -c archive.tar.Z | tar xf -`
Steps:
1. Open Terminal.
2. Run: uncompress -c archive.tar.Z | tar xf -
3. Alternatively: tar xZf archive.tar.Z (on systems where tar supports -Z).

Note: The uncompress command is available on macOS. Pipe to tar for extraction.

With MacPacker: browse the TAR.Z archive like a folder, preview files with Quick Look, and drag out individual files without extracting everything.

FAQ:

Q: How do I extract a TAR.Z file on Mac?
A: Open Terminal and run: uncompress -c archive.tar.Z | tar xf — this decompresses and extracts in one step. MacPacker can also open TAR.Z files directly.